What to do during a GAP year?

[amalgamgrillz]

hi everyone,

I will be graduating from my Special Master's program in about July, and I will have submitted my AADSAS application around that time as well. I was wondering what you guys would recommend I do while waiting to hear back from dental schools? I've been thinking about/am open to suggestions:

• Continue taking more classes (I don't know if I can come back and take more graduate courses after I've graduated - does anyone know?) - my cumulative GPA and science GPA will still be kind of low (3.3, 3.2)..but I would risk dropping below a 4.0
• Travelling
• Teaching English in Korea or some foreign land
• Teaching at a community college or high school
• Doing a Dental Assissting program
• Doing a Dental Lab Tech program (if I can find one that's only 1 year)
• Doing (more) research

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[CANgnome]

I would be very much interested in knowing this as well.

 

[DividedByZero]

Any of those are viable options except for teaching English in Korea (dude, you have interviews to go to!). It all depends on what you feel is lacking in your application. If you feel you don't have enough volunteer hours - go volunteer. If you feel you need more research experience - go do research. If you feel like you need to raise your GPA still - go take more classes. It's not rocket surgery.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

Any of those are viable options except for teaching English in Korea (dude, you have interviews to go to!). It all depends on what you feel is lacking in your application. If you feel you don't have enough volunteer hours - go volunteer. If you feel you need more research experience - go do research. If you feel like you need to raise your GPA still - go take more classes. It's not rocket surgery.

hahaha good points. my cGPA and sGPA after my master's will still be kind of low (3.3, 3.2)..but i dont want to risk dropping below a 4.0 in my masters. ..is it ok if i go back and take upper level undergrad science classes? lol. i dont know if that's a stupid question or not

 

[d3nt15t]

Work at the GAP, or go back to school and raise your GPA. Or, become a professional golfer and join the PGA.

 

[CANgnome]

I actually have an idea of what I will be doing. I'm currently finishing my masters, i think it will be 30 credits of 4.0.

next semester i am going back to my home town to finish up my English requirements and take 1 or 2 upper div biology courses while doing volunteering and working. So basically I will be doing a post-bacc after my Master's.

I have 24/24/25 DAT and i think the only barrier is my GPA (3.23/3.18 now, will be 3.37/3.33 next cycle) and lack of community involvement.

Have you gotten any interviews right now, amalgamgrillz?

 

[redchesus]

I worked, took some leftover English/humanities pre-reqs at a community college and traveled quite a bit.

Even with minimal classes, I felt really swamped around interview season so I was glad I didn't have real (read: hardcore science) classes to attend to.

 

[oreoson]

If you read today's paper, you wouldn't consider going to Korea or any other Asian nations for that matter.

 

[Munchy]

someone is up to date with world news..

 

[BlueWolv]

if you 4 pointed your masters degree then it would be pointless to go back to school, other than to take missing requirements you said you have. You did awesome in a masters program and the schools will see that you can handle a heavy course load, even if your undergrad gpa brings down your cumulative. The best advice i can give you is take advantage of your gap year! After you submit your app in July you wont even be able to add any more ECs to it. Therefore, i'd say live it up, travel, relax. If you work do something you enjoy. Im in my gap year right now and I work as a dental assistant. It has been a great way to learn about dentistry but after a few months, I cant stand it. I just clean equipment and get bossed around all day. I would definitely not do anything dental related. you have the rest of you career to be in a dental office. Im leaving assisting to teach Spanish classes which is way more enjoyable. I also plan to travel a lot this next summer. I'm also learning the drums! Just remember, once D school starts, a whole year of free time to do whatever you want will be just a fantasy until you retire. good luck!

 

[dentalWorks]

Personally (and this is what I am doing right now)... is to continue taking post-bacc courses.... You don't have to be full-time, just show that your still involved with your education.

In my interviews, they often ask me "so what are you doing right now"... I tell them I am still taking courses. And they usually praise me by telling me how important it is to stay with the in-school mentality during the application process. Its sort of hard, in my opinion, to take a 1 year to 1.5 years off from school all together and get hit with 25 credits of dental school year1 semester.